If nobody from a company ever filled out an opt-in form or shared any information online, that IP address would remain relatively anonymous. Here at Anchor, we’ve been trying out some of the latest versions of this technology with the help of many of our clients across the Midwest, and while some appear to be an open book (we see lists of employees, etc.), others don’t seem to register at all. In addition, issues still remain with users who visit via the mobile web (rather than wi-fi). So it’s not perfect. The Holy Grail is still in Castle Aaarrghh, but we’re getting closer (we’re definitely on the bridge with that old guy and the riddles).

For some of our clients, just knowing that they received a visitor from Insurance Mart would be a huge head start. They would gladly follow up on the lead with some homework of their own, understanding that they might have to ask some questions and make a few educated guesses. Any way you look at it, it’s a good deal better than cold calling out of the phone book (remember those?). In the end, it really depends on the investment, I suppose. How much is it worth to you to broadly identify half of the visitors to your website? To some, nothing. To others, a lot.

Stand by on this one, and we’ll keep you posted as this technology continues to develop. Privacy is a real concern in modern marketing, but data mining is getting more and more valuable simply by getting better and better at automating “common sense” parts of the process. I’m excited to see where we go from here.